


Ryan Bergara’s (maybe) Haunted House

by addendum



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 02:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13871064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addendum/pseuds/addendum
Summary: In a horrifying, hilarious twist of irony, Ryan is pretty sure that his new apartment is haunted.





	Ryan Bergara’s (maybe) Haunted House

Shane Madej was 99.9% sure that ghosts did not exist. The .1% was more for margin of error than anything; a sliver of possibility he made room for just on the off chance that he was wrong. Generally, he was pretty goddamn positive that ghosts were not real.

Ryan Bergara, of course, was on the other end of the spectrum. He was on the other end of the spectrum, because of course he was. Of course he and Shane couldn’t agree on one thing. Not a single goddamn thing.

Since the very first day they been seated near each other in the office, Shane and Ryan’s differing opinions had been bouncing off each other like alpha particles off a sheet of gold foil. That was a science reference that Ned Fulmer had introduced him to because Ned, like himself, was a man of science. Science: the very thing that disprove the existence of ghosts.

Shane and Ryan were complete opposites in many ways, but there were a few things that made them just alike. Intellect. Wit. A killer sense of humor. Yes, Shane and Ryan were compatible in all the ways that mattered, which meant they were something of a dream team around the office. As friends, they were incredible. As a couple, they were....unstoppable.

They balanced each other out, and made each other better. It was wonderful...for the most part.

But, as is true of any relationship, there were a few bumps in the road. Ryan Bergara’s haunted apartment was one of those bumps.

It all started at that goddamn housewarming party, really. In hindsight, that whole thing was probably a bad idea to begin with. It was mid-May and warm outside, for one, which meant that Shane Madej had been on board a non stop complain train.

“It’s California, idiot.” Ryan said playfully. “It’s literally always warm.”

“My point exactly!” Shane explained, as overdramatic as ever. “‘Tis the horror of living in L.A., I suppose.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to move back to The Windy City.” Ryan teased.

Shane grinned, puckering his lips and bending down for a quick peck.

“Nah.” He said. “My boyfriend is a southern California lily, and I don’t think he could stand being away from me.”

Ryan rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile, half wanting to tell Shane to shut up and half contemplating going in for a second kiss. He settled for something in between, intertwining their fingers with his left hand. Shane happily complied, and the two of them collapsed on the nearby sofa together.

“Thanks for helping me host this party.” Ryan said.

Shane smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Of course, Ry. No way I’d let you do this alone.”

It was the fourth day that Ryan had been living in his new apartment, and he already felt so comfortable. It was bigger, it was closer to the office. It seemed like perfect opportunity for a housewarming party.

“The guests are gonna be here soon. Right, Ryan?”

Ryan groaned, leaning his back further into the leather surface behind him. Not that he wasn’t looking forward to seeing his friends, but passing out in the soft folds of his leather couch sounded pretty good right now.

Before he could answer the doorbell rang, causing Ryan to jump. Shane chuckled and stood up, offering his boyfriend a hand.

“Maybe it’s a g-g-ghost at the door!” Shane teased, leading them to the apartment’s front door

“Maybe you should shut up.” Ryan muttered.

He swung open the door to reveal Zach and Eugene, both smiling. Eugene, of course, was dressed to the nines in a dark coat. Zach stood next to him in a casual sweater.

“Hey guys!” Ryan greeted them with a friendly wave, stepping out of the way to let them in. “Thanks for coming over!”

“Are we the first ones here?” Zach asked, sounding annoyed. “I told him this was going to happen!”

“You know, I think I would’ve pegged Eugene as the type to be fashionably late.” Shane commented thoughtfully.

“He normally is.” Zach explained. “Tonight he’s just eager to get drunk.”

Ryan laughed, nodding. Eugene just shrugged.

“Sounds good! I’ll go grab you a beer, okay?”

He walked toward the kitchen, Shane in tow, as Zach and Eugene continued to bicker.

“Are those two a thing?” Shane asked conversationally, picking an olive from out of appetizer dish.

“Zach and Eugene? You think so?”

Shane shrugged.

“The only single Try Guys. They’ve gotta stick together.”

He lowered his voice into an impression of Ryan’s Unsolved narration.

“With that in mind....let’s get into the theories.”

Ryan laughed, pushing the door open and walking back into the party. He was so glad he had someone like Shane there to help him host.

The night went on and more people showed up, bringing with them jokes and stories and food. Coworkers, former coworkers, college friends. Daysha brought popcorn, which Shane and Ryan had devoured within five minutes. Ned and Ariel sent an apology text, explaining that their babysitter had become busy with other plans and they had to stay home with their daughter.

About an hour into the party the doorbell rang, and Ryan slipped through the crowd to answer it. Outside were Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj, who was probably only there because Steven wanted to come and he was too shy to show up alone.

“What’s up, guys?” Ryan said. “Thanks so much for coming!”

Andrew gave him a firm handshake and a small smile, and Steven beamed.

“I don’t know if this party is really up to your standards, you know.” Ryan joked. “All the food here is probably under $10.”

Andrew chuckled.

“Surprise! I got you a present!” Steven said, producing a gift bag from behind his back.

Ryan smiled at him, touched. The no present policy had been made clear to all the invitees but somehow, Ryan wasn’t surprised that Steven would be the person to break that rule.

“Ooh, presents!” Shane said, appearing at Ryan’s side.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to bring presents.” Quinta mumbled.

“Oh, good!” Sara said cheerfully. “I’m not the only one who brought you something!”

As Ryan smiled at her, Steven shoved the bag excitedly into his hands.

“You should open it now!” He insisted, looking around the room. “Right, guys?”

There was a general murmur of assent from the others, and Ryan shrugged. What harm could opening one present do? He walked toward the kitchen with the gift and was followed by the rest of the party, staring at him with various degrees of interest.

Setting the bag on the table, Ryan recognized the corner of something sticking out from the tissue paper. He looked briefly for a card and when he didn’t find one, removed the paper to reveal his present.

In the bag was something rectangular folded in on itself; maybe a board game? Ryan kind of hoped it was Life. He picked up the object with anticipation, unfolded it, and felt his stomach drop.

A Ouija board. Around him, his friends burst into laughter. He turned to look at Shane, who seemed positively tickled. Haha, very funny. He guessed everyone was getting a kick out of this but him.

Looking at the board made Ryan’s stomach turn, and he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding wash over him. Shane would call it paranoia; Ryan was pretty sure it was animal instincts.

“Why’d you have to bring that shit into my house, man?” Ryan asked, fixing a scowl on Steven.

Steven feigned innocence, slapping a hand over his chest and looking scandalized.

“I just wanted to welcome my best buddy into his new home!” He insisted.

“Right.” Andrew muttered dryly. “No ulterior motives here.”

Shane just laughed, clapping a hand on Ryan’s back and seeming annoyingly relaxed. Didn’t he know how much trouble this stupid board could stir up? Ryan didn’t understand how he could be so unbothered.

“It’s just a board game, Ryan.” He said. “What’s gonna spook you next? Monopoly? Oo-oo-oooooh!”

As the others laughed, Ryan took the opportunity to flick Shane in the arm.

“You can laugh all you want, Mr. Skeptic, but I’m no idiot. This board can bring nothing but trouble.”

“Trouble.” Shane repeated thoughtfully. “Trouble in the form of demons, I’m assuming?”

“Yes, demons! Jesus, Steven. Where did this thing even come from? Where’s the box?”

Steven shrugged, taking a sip from a can of Sprite. He, just like everyone else in the room, seemed impressively unbothered.

“I don’t know, man. I got this at Goodwill.”

“Goodwill?” Ryan asked, horrified. “That means it’s even more dangerous! Who knows what spirits are already bound to this thing?”

“Is that really how this thing works?” Jen asked with a laugh.

“I think we should use it.” Shane suggested casually.

“What?” Ryan cried, feeling betrayed.

“Yeah! Let’s use it!” Kelsey said excitedly. “Me and my ex boyfriend did it once and let me tell you—it was crazy.”

A few others muttered their agreement, and Ryan felt the nervous feeling in his stomach multiply by one hundred. This was not going to end well.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” He said quickly.

“Come on, Ryan.” Andrew spoke up. “Get into the team _spirit_.”

Steven laughed, and the rest of the room broke into collective groaning.

“You guys are all fucking insane.” Ryan said solemnly.

Shane stepped forward, wrapping a strong arm around his waist.

“Well what’s it gonna be, Ry? Are we gonna do this or what?”

Ryan glanced around at his friends, seeing a sea full of mostly eager expressions. It kind of made him feel backed into a corner.

“I-I guess we could play.” He finally settled on.

A few people cheered, and forced their ways closer to the table. Ryan pulled out a chair and sat down. Zack Evans did the same, and Shane stood behind them.

“Anyone else want to put their hands on it?” Ryan asked nervously.

“No thanks.” Keith said. “No demons for me tonight.”

“Great.” Ryan said dryly, sighing.

He, Zack, and Shane placed their fingers on the piece in the middle, and Ryan asked the only question that made sense:

“Is there anyone here?”

The piece moved at the rate of molasses and for Ryan, the wait was agonizing. When it finally landed on yes, his breath hitched.

“Holy shit!” Kelsey said.

“Shane, are you doing this?” Ryan asked urgently.

Shane shook his head.

“No, Ry. Promise.”

“Are you, Zack?”

“Nah, dude. I’m just as freaked out as you.”

Ryan felt his stomach sink with dread. His house was haunted. He couldn’t even stay in the Sallie house for one night, how in the living hell was he supposed to do this?

“Ask it another question!” Someone called.

“What’s your name?” Zack asked almost...casually.

Ryan marveled. At him, Shane, everyone else. How were they all so calm? Was he just losing his mind? Was he really as stupid as the Shaniacs always told him?

The piece seemed to move of its own accord. It landed on the letter M and Ryan felt his heart stop. After a moment it moved again, this time to the letter A. As the group began to mumble, the piece moved a third time. C.

“M-A-C.” Kate Peterman announced. “The ghost’s name is Mac? Weird.”

“Not a very threatening name, I must say.” Shane said.

“I think Ryan could beat a guy named Mac.” Justin Tan said.

Ryan truly didn’t understand how they could all be so casual about this. He knew how Shane felt about the supernatural, but he had no idea that his other coworkers would be so flippant. The whole thing was making him feel embarrassed about being so scared. But he was scared. He was terrified. He felt as though he had welcomed an intruder into his home with open arms.

“What should we ask next?”

“I’m done.” Ryan said quickly. Firmly.

He stood up from his chair in a rush, not bothering to hide his panic. Many people furrowed their brows in concern.

“Let’s do something else, okay?” He said.

And he sounded so desperate, so genuinely terrified, that no one argued with him. Even Shane only smiled kindly, linking their hands together.

The rest of the night went on as normally as it could have. At least, it did for everyone else. Ryan was far too distracted to relax. They eventually began a game of Pictionary, but Ryan couldn’t bring himself to focus.

The party finally ended around one, when guests began leaving the apartment in pairs of two. A slightly tipsy Stephen was led by Andrew to their car, and Zach and Eugene called an Uber. When finally they had all gone, Shane turned to Ryan with a crooked grin.

“You sure throw a hell of a party, Bergara.” He said with a smirk.

His words were slightly slurred, and his breath smelled of alcohol. Ryan couldn’t remember even seeing him take a drink. In spite of himself and all his prior knowledge about Shane, he still found himself surprised at his demeanor. So it really wasn’t all for the cameras, huh? Shane really was just that disbelieving.

“Shane, how are you not freaked out right now?” He asked frantically, grabbing a fistful of Shane’s flannel in one hand. “Are you just a fucking sociopath or what?”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Shane exclaimed, stumbling backward. “What’s going on here, baby? Did I miss something?”

“You have to be messing with me.” Ryan said darkly. “There is no way you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I really don’t kn—oh! Is this about that whole stupid Ouija board thing?”

“Yes! Of course it’s about that! My fucking apartment is haunted, Shane! How do you not care?”

“Ryan, can we please not do this right now? I’m exhausted, okay? I don’t have time to explain to you how ridiculous the notion of this is to you. You never thought this place was haunted before we played with that stupid board, and you’ve been here a hundred times.”

“If you weren’t manipulating the board, it was doing it by itself.” Ryan said with conviction. “Where’s your scientific explanation for that?”

Shane sighed, bending his head back. He really was exhausted, and arguing with Ryan was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

“Maybe Zack was moving it.” He said. “Maybe your subconscious was. All I know is this: ghosts are not real. They just aren’t, Ryan. There’s no need to be afraid.”

Ryan sputtered, at a loss for words. Hearing Shane shut down his fears should have been reassuring, but it only served to make him feel stupid and alone. Like he was fighting this battle by himself.

“Fine!” He exclaimed. “Don’t believe me!”

“Great! I wo-“

“Just let me sleep over at your place tonight.”

Shane sighed. He was doing his best not to feed into Ryan’s fears, but he also wasn’t about to say no to a sleepover.

“Fine.” He conceded. “You drive, okay? I think I had one too many drinks.”

“Okay.”

“And all this ghost talk is making me want another.”

                        •••• 

It was two more nights before Ryan mustered the courage to sleep in his own bed. It wasn’t his fault that Shane‘s condo was more spacious and less haunted. Ryan thought maybe staying away from his own place would ease his worries, but all it did was make them grow stronger.

Odd things started happening from the moment Shane dropped him off, and only got worse as the night went on. Ryan made himself a sandwich; the mustard seemed to disappear from the fridge when he turned away. He took a shower; the lights in the bathroom went out.

Shane called these things coincidences, mind tricks, or some combination of both. As per usual, he refused to put any stock in Ryan’s beliefs. As Ryan became increasingly paranoid, however, he realized that this problem wasn’t one he could wish away with sarcastic remarks. Ryan was legitimately afraid in his own home.

“You should call Father Thomas.” He suggested.

Not because he believed that Ryan’s apartment was haunted, not by any means. He just said it because he knew that Ryan did believe, and he knew that Ryan was too stubborn to stop believing any time soon.

“It’s not a demon, Shane!” Ryan whined. “And besides, I’m pretty sure Father Thomas hates us after we purposefully disobeyed all his rules.”

Shane waved a hand dismissively.

“Then fuck him!” He said. “Call someone else.”

“And what?” Ryan asked. “Get scammed out of all my rent money? I’m not completely stupid, dude, most of those people are fake.”

“So...let me get this straight,” Shane said, “you believe in ghosts....but not ghost hunters? Right. Seems logical.”

Ryan shrugged it off, annoyed by the patronizing tone of voice he was using.

“People lie.” He said simply. “Facts don’t.”

                        •••• 

“So how’s your ghost problem going, Ryan?” Jen asked the Monday after the party.

She was joking, obviously. Smiling. But Ryan couldn’t bring himself to laugh. The word ‘ghost’ made Ryan’s blood run cold. He felt the familiar feeling of fear pump through his veins.

“My apartment is haunted.” He said simply.

Jen’s eyes widened, and she stared at him like she thought he was crazy. She probably did. Ryan should have expected that.

“You seriously thing your apartment is haunted?” She asked.

“I seriously do.” He said. “I think there’s a ghost living with me.”

Jen paused for a second, before breaking into an easy smile.

“A roommate, huh?” She said. “Well, at least that makes paying rent a little easier.”

                       ••••  
The first time that Shane slept over at the new place, Ryan had a nightmare. There was a demon running towards him with glowing eyes and he couldn’t move. As hard as he tried to break free from the cement he didn’t budge; only stood in horrified panic, waiting for the thing to reach him and-

He woke with a strangled gasp....well, maybe something slightly louder than that. Shane startled awake, reaching for him in the darkness.

“Woah-what?” He asked, voice slurred by drowsiness. “You good, Ryan? Is everything okay?”

“Nightmare.” Ryan squeaked, wondering when his heart rate would slow down.

“Yeah?” Shane said softly, rubbing at his eyes. “You’re okay, buddy. You’re safe.”

He was speaking in his softest, most comforting voice and it really did make Ryan feel better. It made him feel protected.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Shane asked. “It might help.”

Ryan looked at him, wanting a sign to tell him what he should or shouldn’t say. He didn’t want to be made fun of, but at the same time he couldn’t handle feeling so alone. He felt like he was drifting out into a sea of trepidation, and maybe Shane could pull him back to solid ground.

“Shane.” He said finally, forcing himself to sound confident. “I think this apartment is haunted. I know you don’t believe me! But I really, really think so.”

Shane paused. Then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. Sitting up in bed completely, resigned to his boyfriend’s insanity, he leaned over and flicked on the lamp closest to him.

“Maybe I should’ve made myself clearer on this before, Ryan: This apartment is not haunted. Ghosts do not exist. Does that make you feel better?”

Ryan glared at him, shaking his way out from under the other man’s grip. Shane had a way of speaking with such condescending conviction when he wanted to, and at 3 in the morning when Ryan was panicking about supernatural beings, he wanted to.

“Jesus, Shane.” Ryan mumbled sheepishly. “You sure know how to make a guy feel like an idiot, don’t you?”

At that, Shane softened again. He really had meant for his words to instill confidence, not to make his boyfriend feel stupid.

“Aw, Ryan.” He said gently, beckoning for Ryan to come close to him. “C’mere, buddy.”

Ryan scooted back over to him semi reluctantly, the suspicious scowl never leaving his face. He hated being made to feel stupid; he was far from stupid. He knew that. Shane knew that.

“Sorry for being a dick, Ry.” Shane whispered, repositioning his arm around his boyfriend’s broad shoulders.

“You were being a dick.” Ryan confirmed.

“I know. You’re allowed to be afraid of whatever you want-even if the thing in question is totally not real.“

“Shut up, Sha-“

“I’m talking about ghosts, if you didn’t get the implication. Ghosts are not real.”

“Oh, I got the implication all right. The same bullshit implication I always get from you.”

“Bullshit? This is the opposite of bullshit, Ryan.”

“Whatever, Madej. Let’s just get back to sleep.”

Shane’s expression softened, and he pressed a quick kiss to the top of Ryan’s head.

“You sure you’re okay now?”

“Pretty sure. Sorry for waking you up, by the way. But not that sorry.”

Shane scoffed, turning the light back off.

“Goodnight, Ry. I promise I won’t let Casper get you.”

Ryan just groaned, turning on his side and hoping he could sleep through the rest of the night without incident.

                       ••••

“Holy fucking shit!” Ryan exclaimed.

He was sitting at his desk at work, and staring wide eyed at the screen of his computer. Next to him, Shane removed one side of his headphones and looked at him questioningly.

“Everything okay, Ryan?” He said gently.

“No.” Ryan said immediately, bringing his hands up and gripping either side of his head.

“What?” Shane said, concerned. “What’s wrong, dude?”

“It’s my apartment!” Ryan said, turning his head to look at his boyfriend. “My fucking apartment is haunted!”

Shane groaned. God, he should have known this was where this was going. Of course this could all be traced back to Ryan’s irrational fear of ghosts.

“Jesus, Ryan. Are we seriously talking about this again?”

Ryan sighed exasperatedly, gesturing to his computer screen.

“Look at this, dude!”

Shane leaned over, looking at the webpage Ryan had pulled up. It was a record of L.A. obituaries. Sigh. Ryan really wasn’t going to let this go.

“Obituaries?” He said skeptically. “You’re lucky I love you, Bergara. Because if not I’d be calling the closest asylum.”

“Are you even reading this, Shane?” Ryan said urgently. “Look!”

Shane rolled his eyes, but gave the screen another glance. Ryan was looking at one obituary in particular: someone named Elizabeth Olsen. The woman in the picture was young and pretty, and she was smiling widely.

“Elizabeth Olsen.” Shane read out loud. “So what?”

“Shane!” Ryan said, clearly frustrated. “Look where she died.”

Shane looked again, and skimmed the information until he found what he assumed Ryan was talking about. Oh. This woman had been murdered. And she’d been murdered in Ryan’s apartment complex.

“Are you seeing this?” Ryan asked. “This is the ghost!”

Shane scoffed.

“Ryan.” He said. “Even if ghosts were real-which they aren’t!—this ones name would be named Elizabeth. And according to your previous Ouija board, the one in your apartment is named Mac.”

Ryan shook his head at that, dismissing it immediately.

“It could be a nickname.” He said. “Or a miscommunication. Whatever, okay? This proves that my apartment building has a weird history.”

“Ryan, will you just relax?” Shane asked. “You’re overreacting. As always.”

Ryan glared.

“You’re lucky I love _you_ , Madej. Because if I didn’t, I would’ve killed you years ago. And I’d make sure you didn’t come back to haunt me.” 

                        •••• 

“You want to go out or order in?” Ryan asked a few days later.

They were sitting in the living room of his apartment on a Saturday night, lounging about aimlessly and bored out of their minds. Shane had insisted they stay here for the night; as he put it, Ryan would never stop being afraid if he didn’t force himself to face his fears.

“Let’s just order pizza, okay?” Shane said. “I don’t feel like getting up off this couch.”

“You’re so lazy.” Ryan said teasingly, leaning his face in close.

Shane gave him a matching smirk, and Ryan closed the distance between them with a kiss. The kiss quickly became more intense, and Ryan pulled himself into Shane’s lap.

“Come to think of it, I think you taste better than pizza.” Shane mumbled, causing Ryan to chuckle into the kiss.

“That was so lame.” He teased.

“I’m lame? You’re la-“

Suddenly, a crashing noise sounded throughout the apartment and made both Shane and Ryan nearly jump out of their skin. Ryan shot him a fierce, knowing look before climbing out of his lap and into a standing position. He raced to the source of the noise with Shane close behind, half expecting to find some kind of break in going on.

Instead, there was a plate on the ground. A ceramic plate had fallen on to the ground. Seemingly by itself.

“Holy shit!” Ryan yelled. “What the fuck?”

He looked at Shane is on his panic, as though silently begging for answers. Shane just shrugged.

“Eh. Probably just the wind.”

Ryan groaned, threading the fingers of one hand through his hair and tugging. Shane’s unrelenting skepticism really would be the death of him....either that, or this fucking ghost.

“There aren’t any windows open, Shane!” He yelled. “It’s not the fucking wind!”

Shane shrugged a second time.

“The fan is on.”

“What kind of fan is that powerful, Shane?”

Shane took a deep breath, letting it out in a cold rush of air. He could see that this ghost problem wasn’t going to go away by itself.

“I don’t know, babe.” He said calmly. “I just don’t know.”

                         ••••

This ghost was starting to ruin Ryan’s life. He started avoiding his own home; the place where he should have felt the safest became a prison. And even outside its walls, the ghost seemed to follow him. No matter where he was, Ryan could not escape the anxiety and the terror.

“I can’t do this anymore.” He finally said one day, sitting across from Shane is a Starbucks. “I really can’t.”

“Editing Unsolved?” Shane ask, looking pointedly at the laptop Ryan was using.

“No, not that!” Ryan said irritably. “The ghost, Shane! I can’t live with this ghost anymore.”

Shane paused, looking thoughtful, before his face contorted and he groaned.

“Ryan!” He said sternly, leaning across the space in between them. “You sound like a lunatic, okay? You sound insane.”

Ryan stopped. His vision became blurry with tears, and the pit in his stomach turned into a chasm.

“Will you just stop?” He said, his voice broken and quiet.

Shane felt immediately guilty, and he lept out of his seat to get closer to Ryan. God, he really hated himself sometimes. His boyfriend was scared! Why did he have to be such an asshole all the time?

“Okay, Ryan.” He said quietly, wrapping his arms around him. “Don’t cry, baby. You’re fine.”

A few other patrons glanced their way, but Shane could not possibly have cared less. The only thing he could bring himself to care about was Ryan.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I’m sorry.”

                       ••••  
Ryan’s Starbucks meltdown was something of a breaking point for Shane. He saw just how big this fear was getting; it was bigger than Ryan. It was bigger than Shane.

“Okay, Ryan. I’ll admit it.” He said. “I can’t tell you for sure that ghosts aren’t real....I mean, I guess I could tell you that.....and i think I will, actually. Ghosts aren’t real. What was my point again?”

Shane seemed to rethink his position on the subject, glancing upward as though trying to remember where his train of thought was headed. After a moment he snapped out of it, tightening his grip on Ryan’s shoulders.

“Okay, I remembered my point!” He announced determinedly. “Ryan: it doesn’t matter whether or not ghosts are real. What matters is that you’re scared of them.”

Ryan shook his head and raised an eyebrow, completely lost. Was Shane making fun of him again?

“Are you just reaffirming my fear?” He asked. “That’s not very helpful.”

Shane let out a little, frustrated groan.

“I’m not reaffirming your fears, Ryan! I’m validating them! That’s what a good boyfriend does, right? Validates you? You. Are. Valid.”

Ryan snorted with incredulous laughter, still confused as all fuck.

“Alright, Dr. Phil. I’ve been validated. Now what exactly is your point?”

“My point,” Shane said, “is that you’re afraid of ghosts. Obviously. So it doesn’t really matter whether or not your apartment is actually haunted, right?”

Ryan blinked.

“Because it doesn’t matter that ghosts are total bullshit, and this is all a product of your imagination! You’re afraid! And you’re gonna keep being afraid, no matter who tells you not to be.”

Ryan wiggled out of his grip, chuckling.

“This is quite possibly the least motivational motivational speech I’ve ever gotten in my life.” He quipped.

“Don’t you get it, Ryan?” Shane exclaimed.

“Nothing is going to make you feel better about this apartment, because you already have yourself totally convinced that it’s cursed. Which is why-“

He cut himself off, looking unsure. Ryan’s expression turned from amusement to concern.

“Which is why what?” He asked.

Shane braced himself, hating the way the tips of his ears were beginning to heat up.

“Which is why you should just move in with me.” He mumbled.

Admittedly, it was a pretty lame end to his grand speech, but Ryan felt his heart skip a beat. Was Shane actually serious enough about their relationship to take that step?

“For real?” He asked apprehensively.

Shane just nodded, looking oddly shy. Ryan broke into a grin, and he rushed to yank his gigantic boyfriend down for a kiss.

“I’d love to move in with you, you idiot. Of course I would.”

“I-really? You sure?”

Shane seemed flustered and antsy, standing in front of Ryan with a nervously hopeful smile.

“I’m positive.” Ryan said. “I’d much rather share a room with you than with Mac.”

Shane smirked.

“Mac doesn’t exist, remember?”

“Don’t even start with me, Madej.”

 


End file.
